Effects of an Experimental Water-level Drawdown on Methane Emissions from a Eutrophic Reservoir.

Reservoirs are a globally significant source of methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. However, emission rate estimates may be biased low due to inadequate monitoring during brief periods of elevated emission rates (that is, hot moments). Here we investigate CH4 bubbling (that is, ebullition) during periods of falling water levels in a eutrophic reservoir in the Midwestern USA. We hypothesized that periods of water-level decline trigger the release of CH4-rich bubbles from the sediments and that these emissions constitute a substantial fraction of the annual CH4 flux. We explored this hypothesis by monitoring CH4 ebullition in a eutrophic reservoir over a 7-month period, which included an experimental water-level drawdown. We found that the ebullitive CH4 flux rate was among the highest ever reported for a reservoir (mean = 32.3 mg CH4 m-2 h-1). The already high ebullitive flux rates increased by factors of 1.4-77 across the nine monitoring sites during the 24-h experimental water-level drawdown, but these emissions constituted only 3% of the CH4 flux during the 7-month monitoring period due to the naturally high ebullitive CH4 flux rates that persist throughout the warm weather season. Although drawdown emissions were found to be a minor component of annual CH4 emissions in this reservoir, our findings demonstrate a link between water-level change and CH4 ebullition, suggesting that CH4 emissions may be mitigated through water-level management in some reservoirs.

Reservoir Water-Level Drawdowns Accelerate and Amplify Methane Emission.

Water-level fluctuations due to reservoir management could substantially affect the timing and magnitude of reservoir methane (CH4) fluxes to the atmosphere. However, effects of such fluctuations on CH4 emissions have received limited attention. Here we examine CH4 emission dynamics in six Pacific Northwest U.S. reservoirs of varying trophic status, morphometry, and management regimes. In these systems, we show that water-level drawdowns can, at least temporarily, greatly increase per-area reservoir CH4 fluxes to the atmosphere, and can account for more than 90% of annual reservoir CH4 flux in a period of just a few weeks. Reservoirs with higher epilimnetic [chlorophyll a] experienced larger increases in CH4 emission in response to drawdown (R2 = 0.84, p < 0.01), suggesting that eutrophication magnifies the effect of drawdown on CH4 emission. We show that drawdowns as small as 0.5 m can stimulate ebullition events. Given that drawdown events of this magnitude are quite common in reservoirs, our results suggest that this process must be considered in sampling strategies designed to characterize total CH4 fluxes from reservoirs. The extent to which (and the mechanisms by which) drawdowns short-circuit connections between methanogenesis and methanotrophy, thereby increasing net CH4 fluxes to the atmosphere, should be a focus of future work.

Interagency collaboration: head start and a school of nursing.

Agency collaboration is gaining importance for schools of nursing as changes in health care systems focus on the community as a principal environment for health care delivery. Nursing faculty seeking settings in the community to prepare future nurses find Head Start especially interesting as a model of comprehensive care for low-income families. The skill required to develop successful collaboration between community agencies and schools of nursing is often underestimated. Polivka in a conceptual framework for community interageacy collaboration identifies factors to consider. Successful collaborative relationships require that goals be achieved, that relationships be satisfying, and that outcomes have value for all collaborators.

An international nursing course. The health system, England.

As nurse educators look to the curricula of the 21st century, there is growing interest in developing for students a global understanding of health care as practiced in other countries. At Loyola University, Chicago, an elective course provides an opportunity for students to study in England, a country whose system of health care differs significantly from that of the United States. This course is available to both graduate and undergraduate nursing students, including registered nurses who are studying in a degree-completion program. It is planned and conducted in collaboration with the European Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (formerly the Frances Harrison College of Nursing and Midwifery) located in Guildford, Surrey.

Perinatal screening for illicit drugs: policies in hospitals in a large metropolitan area.

More data are needed regarding the screening policies of perinatal units for illicit drugs, especially in states where positive drug test results are linked with child neglect. The process by which pregnant women and infants are selected for illicit drug testing has caused concern because it may lead to bias and overrepresentation of certain populations in the drug-using groups. To examine hospital policies for screening women and newborn infants in prenatal, labor, and newborn hospital units, we conducted a telephone and follow-up mail survey of 49 Chicago-area hospitals. Nurse administrators or clinical specialists were questioned about the criteria used to select mothers and infants for testing, the extent to which written informed or oral consent was obtained for drug tests, and the actions taken by hospitals in response to positive drug test results in infants. Variations in policy among hospitals and hospital units were evident. The most frequently cited criteria for testing mothers and infants for drug use were verbal admission of drug use, the health provider's suspicion of drug use, a positive diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus or a sexually transmitted disease in the mother, or a combination of these criteria. Universal drug screening may be a viable option when sanctions are the consequence of perinatal drug testing. The removal of sanctions, however, and a return to disclosure within a supportive client-caregiver relationship are the preferred options.

Women living with the human immunodeficiency virus: home-care needs.

Strategies for dealing with the complex nursing care needs of women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease are discussed. Using the experiences of the authors' clinical practices and nursing situations described in the literature, the physical, psychosocial, and behavioral issues surrounding the needs of women with HIV and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are explored. The authors seek to delineate successful nursing interventions for the woman living with AIDS.

Common ground: the nurse's role in caring for terminally ill patients with cancer or human immunodeficiency virus disease.

Strategies for coping with the inherent stressors of caring for the terminally ill are suggested, based on the authors' collective experiences caring for the terminally ill and current experiences working with those affected by human immunodeficiency virus disease.

Health systems and policy in the USA and in the United Kingdom: an overseas programme.

An international programme, especially in a developed country, dramatically increases a student's understanding of health care systems. Students from a university programme in the USA learn about the development and structure of the British National Health Service through lectures and discussion in the US and England, and through 2 weeks of experience in England which include working with community health nurses in a district health authority. Related special experiences are planned which may include interviews with nurses involved in policy development, education, administration and specialty areas. Each student identifies an interest to pursue independently from the perspective of community care. As the student participates in the programme, alternative ways to give familiar care challenge formerly held beliefs. Health care emerges as a dynamic system, one that responds to issues, effects policy, and influences the role of health care providers.

Illnesses and children in a preschool center.

The illnesses experienced by children in a preschool center over a 9-month period were analyzed from the records kept by a Headstart health coordinator. These records included a description of both the illness and the care given. Comments made by children such as "feeling funny" or "something hurts," as well as changes in function or behavior were described by the teachers. Ninety-five children out of a total sample of 241 developed 161 illnesses. The most common illnesses were respiratory infections, fevers, gastrointestinal symptoms, and skin changes. In 73 of these illnesses children were sent home, sent for medical care, or excluded from class. Factors which affected decisions about the care of children's illnesses were their well-being, risk to others in the school or public health considerations, and perceived need for medical evaluation. Ill-child care has been one part of the health coordinator role developed by Headstart; in its many functions this role might be adopted by pediatric nurses as a valuable role for providing general health care to young families.